The radish comes in many varieties, which makes it possible to cultivate different shapes, sizes and colors but also to taste radishes with various flavors. Easy to grow and fast growing, the radish is ideal for beginner gardeners. Let’s take a look at sowing, transplanting, caring for and harvesting this root vegetable.
Sow radishes
Depending on the varieties chosen, sowing ranges from mid-February to September. It is in fact possible to sow radishes very early on condition that they can be protected by a forcing veil because they fear frost. Anyway, this root vegetable can only germinate if the soil temperature is above 8°C but it is highly preferable that it reaches at least 12°C to facilitate its growth. As for the air temperature, it should be around 16°C. It is therefore recommended that gardeners wait until the ideal conditions have been reached before sowing their radishes.
We must observe a distance of 20 to 35 cm between rows depending on the variety grown since the larger the roots, the further apart the rows should be. For information, there are 20 round radish seeds per square meter and about thirty for the half-long ones. About the depth to respect, it is between 1 cm for the first and 2 cm for the latter.
All the seeds are to be covered with a thin layer of fine lands and it is imperative to keep the soil moist for the next 5 days, sufficient time for the radishes to start to emerge if they are sown in open groundbut we can see them showing the tip of their nose after only 3 days under chassis.
As soon as the outside temperature reaches 24°C, it is imperative to remove the protective veils.
Grow radishes
Radish loves very bright and sunny locationsbut in the heart of summer, when it is very hot, it appreciates a slight shading that can be offered to it by growing it near large enough leafy vegetables because they will keep it cool. As to ideal groundit must be very worked so particularly furniture, well drained et costs.
One to two weeks after sowing, a thinning. This consists of keeping only one plan every 14 cm for the larger varieties and one plan every 4 cm for the smaller ones.
Caring for radishes
The radish germinates very quickly and grows just as fast without the need to spend a lot of time maintaining it. Here is what you just need to do to enjoy good garden radishes almost all year round.
Water
It must be ensured that the watering be regular because radishes fear drought, but always very moderate because they do not like excess water. In summer, the good frequency is twice a week but we reduce to watering every 6 days in autumn except in case of drought of course.
The regularity of watering is the secret to limit the attacks of certain parasites, to prevent the roots from becoming hollow but also to obtain non-spicy radishes. In other words, if a radish stings, it has run out of water. You can opt for a mulch that keeps the ground cool.
Fertiliser
Only poor soils should receive fertilization before sowing. Otherwise, the radish does not need any particular fertilizer.
Pests and diseases
What we dread most is theriseand pest which can wipe out entire radish seedlings in no time. The impact is direct on their development since the leaves are riddled with holes in the event of an attack, a sign that testifies to the presence of this small black chip devourer. Hence the interest of placing a forcing veil on the seedlings, an effective mechanical protection solution that is less expensive than the anti-insect veil. The disadvantage is that the first must be removed quickly to avoid overheating of the seedlings, while the second can be left in place longer.
In addition to this protection by veil, care is taken to wet the leaves at each watering to keep flea beetles away.
Harvest your radishes
If we thought about stagger your sowing and plantations, you can harvest your radishes from the end of March until November since you only need 21 to 28 days so that they are ready to be eaten. Even if it is advisable to harvest the radishes as needed, care must be taken not to leave them in the ground for too long, as they will only dig in. Finally, it is absolutely essential that they are all harvested before the frosts.